


Feet on Solid Ground

by gay_jeans



Series: It'll Take You To the Other Side (Barlyle) [3]
Category: The Greatest Showman (2017)
Genre: Caroline is reluctant and it’s understandable, Dancing, Family Feels, First Date, First Kiss, Helen Barnum is precious don’t try to convince me otherwise, M/M, Phillip blushes a lot, Romance, barlyle - Freeform, i put the girls in this a little more, phineas is just in awe, romantic dinner, romantic evening, slow dance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-29
Updated: 2018-04-29
Packaged: 2019-04-29 10:53:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,280
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14471118
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gay_jeans/pseuds/gay_jeans
Summary: Caroline grows aware and reluctant of the flame sparking between Phillip and her father. Meanwhile, Phillip takes Phineas out for a romantic evening.





	Feet on Solid Ground

**Author's Note:**

> This has been way too long, I’m so sorry. But I finally just sat my ass down and started writing this, and got it done! No warnings apply, it’s all fluffy, with just a tad bit of angst.

"Daddy's got a daaate, Daddy's got a daaate," Helen giggled in a sing-song voice, twirling around in her dress before plopping down on her father's bed.

"Phillip and I are just going to dinner, Helen." Despite his casual wording, a blush still managed to creep into his cheeks.

Caroline's legs were crossed as she fiddled with her doll on the bed, a troubled look upon her face.

Phineas contemplated his limited options staring back at him from the open dresser drawer: a white or light blue button-up. These were his most formal clothes, unfortunately. Money had been too tight for the past few years. Finding he couldn't decide, he plucked them up by the collars, letting them fall unfolded, and positioned each one under his neck.

"What do you think, girls? Which one?"

"Umm," Helen drawled loudly, then pointed a finger. "The white one!"

His smile faded when Caroline didn't look up. She was the older one. She'd been close to Charity, old enough at just five when she died to comprehend the loss. Helen had only just turned three. While he was confident that they both loved Phillip dearly, they were old enough to know something special was happening between them. It only reminded her of the place that Phillip could never fill; he could never replace Charity.

In the bathroom, he washed his face and attempted to tame his curls, then pulled the button-up on. He heard the girls talking from behind the bathroom door.

"It's not like they're gonna get married, Helen," Caroline said. "They're just...going to eat."

A small part of Phineas deflated.

* * *

"You promise you'll pick us up soon?" Caroline held her father with pitiful eyes. Her doll was clutched to her chest with frail hands.

Phineas felt the eyes of Mr. and Mrs. Hallet looking down their noses at him as he kissed the top of Caroline's head.

"I promise. I know you'll be good, okay?"

The small praise lifted the corners of her lips just enough to make him satisfied. He turned to Helen, giving her a hug and kiss, assuring her that he'd be back in time to tuck them into bed with a fantastic story.

When Mr. Hallet cleared his throat, he straightened and prepared for their glares of disdain. But Phineas was a man of dignity. He maintained eye contact with him, knowing full-well that Benjamin most likely knew what the intentions behind the dinner were.

"I trust that you'll be _responsible_ tonight, Phineas?" He said the word 'responsible' like it held a filthy secret, giving a condescending smile with a dark look in his eyes.

He wondered how Charity would react if she knew he...never mind.

"Take care of my girls."

With one last kiss for each of his daughters, feeling a slight pang of guilt for leaving them with Charity's parents, he left and made his way downtown.

* * *

"I present to you," Phillip placed a ceramic plate on the table in front of him, "my famous fettuccini alfredo."

An awestruck smile was plastered across his face. The heavenly scent wafted up to his nose. No one had ever cooked for him like this, other than Charity.

"Wow," he said. "This looks amazing."

Phillip covered his blush with a comment as he poured two glasses of wine, "Ah, you're too kind."

The room was small and cozy, unfurnished other than their dinner arrangement. A few candles on the table and corners of the room lit the otherwise dim space; the window showed the sun was nearly past the horizon. Muffled music from the orchestra underneath them filtered past the floorboards.

"This is wonderful," he observed the room, taking a bite of the pasta. It tasted divine. "How'd you...?"

Phillip did a half-nod, taking a bite of his own. "A friend of mine owns the club. As far as anyone's concerned, we're handling business."

The reminder that society frowned upon such an idea left them silent, silverware occasionally clinking as they continued to eat.

"I just..." Phillip began finally. "I wanted to take you somewhere nice, but...this was the best I could do."

The wine went down harder when Phineas processed what he said. "I hope you don't think I don't appreciate this gesture, it's lovely," he assured, glancing once again around the room in awe. "Frankly, I think this is more enjoyable than any five-star restaurant in the city."

The complement provoked another blush out of Phillip. He cast his eyes down at his plate in a vain attempt to hide the smile.

The evening was further progressing into night. The candles cast an aesthetically pleasing light about the room as the band downstairs started to play something slow and sweet.

Inferiority and courage battled for dominance in his next decision. Almost timidly, sort of clumsily, he pushed himself to his feet and offered a hand out to Phillip.

"Would you, um...dance? With me?"

Phillip may not have answered verbally, but the way his features lit up spoke a thousand words. With sparkling eyes, he accepted Phineas's hand and rose from his seat.

He hadn't danced in a long time, and never with a man. Where was he supposed to place his hands? With one hand holding Phillip's, his other one finally found his waist. Phillip's cupped his shoulder. Their eventual slow, minimal swaying found the rhythm of the music. Phineas swallowed hard, laughing nervously when their feet bumped together. Oh no, his palms were sweating, goosebumps were forming—

"Phineas," Phillip said calmly, quietly, "I haven't done this before, either. Just relax."

In that moment, nothing else existed. It was just Phillip, Phineas, and the tendrils of unspoken but very present emotions lapping at their hearts, intertwining their fingers, easing their figures closer to one another.

Something must have sparked simultaneously for them to make eye contact at the same time, for them to tilt their chins just a certain way, eyes searching for any sort of doubt, inching closer. Their lips brushed against each other softly, as a feather, and just that contact alone made Phineas want to melt.

* * *

“And the princesses lived happily ever after," he concluded his story in a whisper, not knowing if the two girls next to him in the bed were asleep or not. "The end."

He was content to lay there for a while, since neither one moved or said anything. The sound of their breathing began to pull him to the realm of sweet dreams, until Helen stirred.

"Did you have fun tonight, Daddy?" Her voice was slurred with sleep.

Events of tonight were called back to mind right after they'd begun to quiet down for the first time. Not that he was complaining. Surely, even his dreams would be filled with memories of the dinner. The dance. The kiss.

"I did have fun," he smiled fondly, thinking back on Phillip's smile.

They were silent again until Caroline quietly added, "I'm glad you had fun." She yawned. "Do you love Mr. Phillip?"

The bluntness of the question took his breath away. Or maybe it was the fact that he didn't know what to say, or that maybe he already even knew his answer.

"I think so, Caroline." It hurt his heart that the response might turn his oldest bitter, towards him or Phillip, but withholding the truth would be more harmful. He anticipated her reply with a lump in his throat.

"Then I love him, too."

Tears nearly threatened to fall. A weight was lifted off his chest and he could finally breathe again. A sigh escaped his lips, parted in a half-smile.

"Goodnight, girls, I love you both."

"Goodnight. Love you too."

"Love you, Daddy. Goodnight."


End file.
